About this tournament

Hell Creek Recreation Area is one of the most remote and trophy-rich launch points on Fort Peck Lake, and the two-day Hell Creek Walleye Tournament puts teams right on top of some of the best mid-summer walleye structure in the state. The 2026 tournament runs Saturday and Sunday, July 25–26, with lines in at 7:00 a.m. and lines out at 3:00 p.m. each day.

Fort Peck is the largest reservoir in Montana — 134 miles long with more than 1,500 miles of shoreline — and the Hell Creek arm gives teams access to deep main-lake water, sprawling bays, and major points where 8-plus-pound walleye live. By late July, fish are deep and structure-oriented; the cumulative-weight format over two days rewards teams that find a pattern and can stay on it.

The tournament is part of the Fort Peck Circuit hosted by Walleyes Unlimited of Montana. The Hell Creek Marina, lodge, and campground host most teams, and the gravel road in from Jordan adds to the event’s frontier feel. Membership in Walleyes Unlimited is not required to fish.

Schedule

• Friday Jul 24 (evening) — Rules meeting (typically at Hell Creek Marina/Lodge)
• Saturday Jul 25, 7:00 a.m. — Day 1 lines in
• Saturday Jul 25, 3:00 p.m. — Day 1 lines out / weigh-in
• Sunday Jul 26, 7:00 a.m. — Day 2 lines in
• Sunday Jul 26, 3:00 p.m. — Day 2 lines out / cumulative weigh-in and awards

Entry & Prizes

Entry: Approximately $200 per 2-person team. Application form available for download on the Montana Walleyes Unlimited website. Confirm current fees and field cap with the organization.

What to expect

From the Hell Creek arm, the best mid-summer walleye are typically on main-lake points and humps in 25 to 45 feet. Bottom bouncers with spinner harnesses are the workhorse Fort Peck rig; trolling crankbaits like Berkley Flicker Shads and Salmo Hornets along contour lines also produces. Smallmouth bass and northerns can pad weights on multi-species days. Pack extra fuel — Hell Creek is a remote launch with limited services, and runs to the productive water can be long.

History

The Hell Creek Tournament is one of the oldest events on the Walleyes Unlimited Fort Peck Circuit, drawing both local Garfield County anglers and serious circuit teams making the trek into one of Montana’s most remote walleye fisheries.

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